The preludial music, Gov. Huey Long's "Every Man a King" as sung by Randy Newman, sets the tone for this smart-ass social comedy. It starts out being about economic hard times and then expands its horizons smoothly and surprisingly, but also improbably, to include other types of hard times: "The world out there is coming undone like a cheap suit." And it ends up taking a long cold look at the survivalist alternative: a cabin in the woods and a private arsenal to defend it. Walter Matthau, as a more old-fashioned sort of sufferer, is very good, but Robin Williams is only Robin Williams. The movie bends over backwards to accommodate him, with lots of latitude for his improvisational shtick, but it never persuades him to join the team. Jerry Reed, James Wainwright; written by Michael Leeson; directed by Michael Ritchie. (1983) — Duncan Shepherd
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